If you habitually replace employees who have left your company, you may not be thinking about what positions your company actually needs. Instead of hiring to maintain the status quo, your human resources department can plan ahead to anticipate what new positions and skills you will need to remain competitive. If you wish to maintain most of your positions, HR can plan to improve the talent and functions of those positions effectively.

The Vacancy and Job Description

The first recruitment task of your human resources staff is an examination of the position in relation to your business strategy. HR should ask how the position fits into your future needs and what additional responsibilities might need to be added to the job. HR can follow that evaluation with a detailed job description, based not on the description you keep on file, but on an understanding of your growing business needs.

Establishing Selection Criteria

You can fall into a trap of seeking employees who fit into your culture instead of finding candidates who have skill sets you need. Part of your recruitment plan should include explicit criteria for choosing successful candidates. List the job competencies they must have as well as the attitudes and interests that will help them succeed in a position. This part of your plan keeps you on track when you have competing candidates. Use your selection criteria as a checklist to help you focus on your needs for the job.

Internal Versus External Search

You may benefit from planning an internal search for candidates before you announce openings to the public. Plan to notify current employees of openings and publish the job description on your intranet or through company email. Decide in advance whether you will open the position to external applicants no matter what talent you find internally or whether you will cancel the external search if you find a current employee for the job. Planning the interaction of your internal and external searches can help you find the best talent for your positions.

Evaluation and Testing

Expect HR to conduct skills tests and aptitude tests for candidates you are serious about. You need employees who can get up to speed quickly, and it is up to HR to plan for testing as part of the selection process. Review testing from time to time to make sure it aligns with the skills you need on the job.

The Interview Process

Establish who will do the interviewing, such as an initial interview with HR, a manager and even the business owner before a candidate is approved. Determine if all interviewers must agree on a candidate or if one person's view carries more weight than the others.

Background Checks

Background checks cost you money, so ask HR to determine which stage of the hiring process is appropriate for this tool. One cost-saving solution is running a check on a candidate only when you are ready to make her an offer. Whatever your decision, HR must include this process in its plan.

About the Author

Kevin Johnston writes for Ameriprise Financial, the Rutgers University MBA Program and Evan Carmichael. He has written about business, marketing, finance, sales and investing for publications such as "The New York Daily News," "Business Age" and "Nation's Business." He is an instructional designer with credits for companies such as ADP, Standard and Poor's and Bank of America.